Frequently Asked Questions
Q. How do I find my ancestors on this site? A. There are a number of ways, but the Search function provides the most straightforward method. The Advanced
Search form allows you to enter more
detailed information about the individual for whom you're looking.
Q. What if I don't find any ancestors using Search? A. It is very common
for the spelling of last names to change over time. If you do not find anyone
with Search, try using Surnames Show
surnames starting with: and look for similar names by the first letter of the
last name.
Q. How do I find an individual's ancestors? A. After locating an
individual, press the Ancestors tab
at the top of the window. This will show you a graphical display of both the
paternal and maternal ancestors.
Once you have the ancestor chart displayed, you can click on the arrows located
at the far right ancestor if you need to see additional ancestors. There are a
number of formats for you to choose from (Standard, Compact, Box, Text, Ahnentafel, and Photos & History) to display ancestors.
Try clicking on the various options and see which one works best for you. You
can also adjust the number of generations displayed (better with large
monitors).
Q. What if I want to see an individual's descendants? A. The Descendants tab at the top of the window displays the descendants of
an individual. There are a couple of different formats that descendants can be
displayed. You can switch between the Standard and Register format to display
the information the way that works best for you. You can also adjust the number
of generations displayed (better with large monitors).
Q. Why doesn't the Search program find married women? A. When searching for women on the web site, always look
using their maiden names. At this time the search program will not locate a woman based on her married name.
Q. Is there a way to tell if two individuals are related? A. Yes, the Relationship tab
will show a graphic display of all the people between two relatives. To use
this function, locate the first individual and then press the Relationship tab.
Then use the find button to locate the second person to be displayed. Once you
have the two people selected click the calculate button to display their
relationship.
Q. The Timeline function looks interesting, what is it? A. A timeline is
displayed for an individual when the Timeline tab is clicked. The time line shows important events in
history that occurred during the life of an individual or a group of
individuals. It gives you a unique perspective to see what was going on in the
world during the lives of our ancestors.
Q. Can I correct mistakes in the information? A. Not directly. You
cannot directly change the displayed data in the system. But you can use the Suggest tab at the top of the window to send changes, updates, or
comments to the site administrator. Information on which individual you are
referencing is automatically attached to the message when you make a suggestion
using the Suggest tab. The site administrator will review your suggestion and sent it on to the original submitter. You can also contact the original submitter directly. You will find their contact e-mail by clicking on their tree name next to the name you are interested in. Your suggestion may be added to the database in the next web update cycle. However an important consideration for adding any data to the site is having verifiable sources for
the information. You can expect an email from the original submitter or this site administrator asking for
references or citation data.
Q. Is there a way to print the display without all the headers and icons?
A. Yes, just click on the Print link
located above the control tabs. A simplified web page will open and you can use
the print function of your browser to print the page.
Q. I cannot see detailed information for myself (or other people) on the web
site. Why not? A. Due to concerns about security and privacy, anyone who
would like to see information on this website will need a USER ACCOUNT. People using an
account to login to the site will have access to our databases about deceased individuals. We have instituted this policy to reduce the possibility of
evil people attempting identity theft by impersonating our users with data from our
site, and also to prevent predators from looking for young people.
Q. Can I get a User account? How do I do that? A. User Accounts will be automatically granted
to everyone who submits their GEDCOM's to IGHS for publication on our website. Everyone else will need to request a User Account. Please select Request a User Account on
the "Home" page and complete the registration form. Under "Notes or
Comments" please indicate your area of Irish research or your connection to the Irish families on the web site. You
will receive an email from the site administrator regarding the status of your
request. Hopefully our procedures will eliminate unscrupulous people and automatic search engine bots.
Q. What are the three dropdown boxes for that are located on the upper right
of the page? A. These let you access additional information that is
contained in the database. You can hover your mouse
pointer over each to see the types of detailed information that is available on
the site. Note, the site is still expanding and some of the items may take you
to areas where we are still working.
Q. What software do you recommend for keeping your genealogy information? A. The
source information for this web site is recorded and maintained in a desktop
genealogy program called "Legacy". www.legacyfamilytree.com
>From Legacy, the information is exported to standard GEDCOM files and imported
into a web site program called "The Next Generation of Genealogy" Sitebuilding http://lythgoes.net/genealogy/software.php
If you have other questions that we did not answer here, please send them to us
so that we can expand and improve the FAQ.
Be sure to leave us comments and suggestions under Contact
Us